The Washington Commanders need help in the backfield, and they need it badly. Just not bad enough to pay above market value.
They left that to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who dropped a 2-year, $10 million contract on Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. The deal includes $6.2 million in guaranteed money and could be worth up to $12 million with incentives.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky in 2021 — the only year Rodriguez earned All-SEC honors for the Wildcats.
“Sources: The Jaguars are signing former #Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. Rodriguez had 920 yards rushing and 10 TDs during his time in Washington,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account on Wednesday. “Source: It’s a two-year deal worth up to $12M for Chris Rodriguez Jr. and the Jaguars. CRod reunites with his college OC Liam Coen.”
Rodriguez Coming Off Career Highs Across Board
Rodriguez, 5-foot-11 and 224 pounds, had the best season of his pro career in 2025 while serving as a change-of-pace back to rookie Jacorey Croskey-Merritt.
While the Commanders had a nightmare season and went 5-12, Rodriguez put up career highs in games (13), starts (7), carries (112), rushing yards (500), and touchdowns (6).
It’s no surprise he’s going back to play for Coen. In their 1 season together at Kentucky, Rodriguez had career highs of 1,378 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns while also scoring 3 receiving touchdowns — the only 3 receiving touchdowns of his college career.
Crowded RB Room for Commanders in Preseason
Getting $6 million in guaranteed money is a sea change from where Rodriguez was before the 2025 season, when there wasn’t even a guarantee he was going to make the 53-man roster for the Commanders.
ESPN’s 53-man roster prediction had the Commanders keep 4 running backs, and Rodriguez wasn’t one of them.
Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols and rookie Jacorey Croskey-Merritt all made the cut in ESPN’s model.
The Commanders traded Robinson to the 49ers before the season and Ekeler tore his Achilles tendon in Week 2.
Riggo’s Rag’s Ryan McCafferty singled Rodriguez out as “barely hanging on” following mandatory minicamp in May.
“That leaves 2023 sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez Jr. in a rather awkward position,” McCafferty wrote on May 31. “He’s shown some impressive flashes with the Commanders, but he might be hanging onto his roster spot for dear life this summer.”
Rodriguez was a sixth round pick (No. 193 overall) by the Commanders in the 2023 NFL draft after he rushed for 3,643 yards and 33 touchdowns in just 40 career games at Kentucky.
In his first 2 seasons with the Commanders, Rodriguez has 420 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns but has averaged just 3.9 yards per carry.
Commanders Don’t Have Real Answer at RB
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels set the NFL’s single-season rookie rushing record in 2024 with 891 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns as the Commanders advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
That’s not something the Commanders can count on moving forward after the disaster that was 2025 — a season that saw Daniels miss 10 games due to a variety of knee, hamstring, and elbow injuries.
Still, there’s no way the Commanders were going to pay that much for Rodriguez.
“The Commanders have lost a player to free agency for the first time,” 106.7-FM The Fan’s Grant Paulsen wrote on X. “Chris Rodriguez has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Jaguars. Averaged 4.5 per carry in a breakout season last year. Always made good on limited opps in DC. WSH needs RB help to complement Bill.”
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